Prisoner (TV series)

Not to be confused with The Prisoner or The Prisoner (2009 miniseries).

Prisoner
Also known as	Prisoners (working title) Prisoner: Cell Block H (UK and United States) Caged Women (Canada) Kvinnofängelset (The Women's Prison; Sweden) Więźniarki (Prisoners; Poland) Celblok H (Cellblock H; Netherlands) As Prisioneiras (Prisoners; Brazil)
Genre	Soap opera serial (crime-drama)
Created by	Reg Watson
Directed by	Chris Adshead Steve Mann Sean Nash Kendal Flanagan Leigh Spence Tony Osicka (and others)
Starring	(see List of Prisoner cast members) Patsy King Fiona Spence Peta Toppano Kerry Armstrong Val Lehman Carol Burns Elspeth Ballantyne Colette Mann Sheila Florance Margaret Laurence Mary Ward Barry Quin Richard Moir Gerard Maguire Monica Maughan George Mallaby Betty Bobbitt Judith McGrath Maggie Kirkpatrick Gerda Nicolson Anne Phelan Joy Westmore
Theme music composer	Allan Caswell Conductor—William Motzing
Ending theme	"On the Inside" (written by Allan Caswell, conducted by William Motzing performed by Lynne Hamilton)
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	692 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Ian Bradley (from season 2)
Producer	Ian Bradley (season 1)
Production locations	Melbourne, Victoria
Camera setup	Video multi-camera (studio-based scenes) Film (on-location and external scenes)
Running time	41–49 minutes 53 minutes (final episode)
Production company	Reg Grundy Organisation
Original release
Network	Network Ten
Release	27 February 1979 (1979-02-27) – 11 December 1986 (1986-12-11)
Related
Wentworth

Prisoner (known in the UK and North America as 'Prisoner: Cell Block H) is an Australian television soap opera, which broadcast on Network Ten (originally The 0-10 Network) from February 1979 to December 1986, running eight seasons and 692 episodes. The series was the first to feature a primary female-dominated cast and carried the slogan "If you think prison is hell for a man, image what it would be like for woman!"

The series produced by the Grundy Organisation, was conceived by Reg Watson and filmed at the then Network Ten Melbourne Studios at Nunawading and on location.

The series garnered an international cult following, and was one of the most successful media exports particularly performing well in the United States and Canada (billed as Prisoner: Cell Block H and Caged Women). It also built a large audience in the United Kingdom and other European countries, most especially Sweden.

Sammy Davis Jr. was a major fan and visited the set, and wanted to appear in a role, but had other engagements at the time

The series was so popular in the United States, in Los Angeles, it was the second-highest-rated show after Charlie's Angels and was the second-highest rating programme at KTLA-5 amongst 65 primetime programmes transmitted through eleven Los Angeles–based stations on Wednesday evenings at 8:30 p.m.

Prisoner" Cell Block H, by 1980 had been in syndication in eight major US cities, including New York, where it rated higher than late-night staple The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and reruns of legendary series M*A*S*H, it paved the way for other popular Australian produced shows including miniseries Against the Wind and The Sullivans to be sold to overseas markets.

At the time The 0-10 Network did not have a cult drama series and were looking for a serial with controversial subject matter and also wanted to establish a show based primarily among a female cast as 1979 was The Year of the Woman. Another spin-off however would be a male counterpart version called Punishment and starring Mel Gibson, although it was not successful.

The program won numerous Logie Awards including Val Lehman and Carol Burns winning for Best Leading Actress, with Sheila Florance winning for best supporting Actress, the series also was awarded numerous TV Penguin Awards

Its cultural impact has inspired numerous contemporary adaptions and the re-imaging series Wentworth launched by Foxtel.

Background

Ian Bradley served as original producer and then executive producer, from series 2, whilst associate producer and screenwriter was Ian Smith, who appeared as an actor in the series as Head of the Department Ted Douglas, prior to becoming famous as the character Harold Bishop in Neighbours; another screenwriter, Anne Lucas, also acted in the series as Faye Quinn.

The series is loosely based on British prison drama series Within These Walls, although it focuses more on the prisoners or inmates, rather than the prison staff led by officious governor Faye Boswell, played by Googie Withers, who was even approached by producers of Prisoner to play the governor, the role was given to Patsy King

The series is set in the fictional Wentworth Detention Centre', in the fictional suburb of Wentworth, in Melbourne, Victoria and follows the lives of the prisoners and staff, and (to a lesser extent others on the outside, example family members, doctors, lawyers etc.). within the division of "H Block", numerous scenes also took place outside the compound exploring the lives of the inmates and staff outside of the centre, and in particular "Driscoll House", a half-way house where inmates were housed after being released, or neighbouring correction institutions like "Barnhurst" and "Blackmoor".

The series gained a positive reception. Initially conceived as a stand-alone miniseries of 16 episodes, its popularity meant it was developed into an ongoing series. It has since endured worldwide, acquiring cult classic status, particularly for its somewhat outrageous acting and plotlines.

Creation and production

Prisoner was created by Reg Watson, who had produced the British soap opera Crossroads from 1964 to 1973 and would create Australian soaps The Young Doctors, Sons and Daughters and Neighbours. Inspired by the British television drama Within These Walls, the show was initially conceived as a 16-episode series, with a pilot episode bearing the working title "Women Behind Bars". Its storylines focused on the lives of the prisoners and, to a lesser extent, the officers and other prison staff. When the initial episodes met an enthusiastic reception, it was felt that Prisoner could be developed into an ongoing soap opera. The early storylines were developed and expanded, with assistance from the Victorian Corrective Services Department.

The show's themes, often radical, included feminism, homosexuality and social reform. Prisoner began in early 1979 with the advertising slogan, "If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it's like for a woman". The series examined how women dealt with incarceration and separation from their families, and the common phenomenon of released inmates re-offending. Within the prison, major themes were interpersonal relationships, power struggles, friendships and rivalries. The prisoners became a surrogate family, with self-styled "Queen Bea", Bea Smith and the elderly "Mum" (Jeanette) Brooks (Mary Ward) emerging as central matriarch figures. Several lesbian characters were introduced on the show, including prisoners Franky Doyle (played by Carol Burns) and Judy Bryant (played by Betty Bobbitt), as well as corrupt and sinister officer Joan Ferguson (Maggie Kirkpatrick).

Continuity

Characters and story exposition were often 'retconned' in order to expand potential storylines. Initially there was a men's prison "next door" to Wentworth, but it was never mentioned again after the early episodes. Barnhurst was originally a co-ed prison, soon becoming a women's facility. Its security status varied considerably with it being described as an 'open prison farm' by the end of the run; although it was often described as "low-security", serial murderers Bea Smith and Marie Winter were housed there for long periods. Although Blackmoor Prison was initially described as a brand new, state-of-the-art maximum-security prison, it was depicted as a Victorian-era workhouse when finally seen. Wentworth was variously described as either new or built during World War II, with aged infrastructure.

During the show's run, several recurring characters were played by multiple actresses and actors. Meg Jackson (later Morris) (Elspeth Ballantyne) son and stepdaughter, Marty Jackson and Tracey Morris, were each played by multiple different actors—Ronald Korosy, Andrew McKaige, and Michael Winchester as Marty, and Sue Devine and Michelle Thomas as Tracey. In the closing year, Nicki Paull's character Lisa Mullins was taken over by Terrie Waddell.

Synopsis

Prisoner cast pic from early 1979. Seated: Bea Smith (Val Lehman). Standing, right to left: Karen Travers (Peta Toppano), Franky Doyle (Carol Burns), Doreen Anderson (Colette Mann), Chrissie Latham (Amanda Muggleton), and a background prisoner, later known as Lorna Young (Barbara Jungwirth).

Viewers' introduction to the Wentworth Detention Centre featured the arrival of two new prisoners, Karen Travers (Peta Toppano) and Lynn Warner (Kerry Armstrong). Travers was charged with murdering her husband in a crime of passion after he was found in-bed with another woman (her flashback featured a shower scene that was a nod to Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho), whilst Warner insisted she was innocent despite her conviction for the abduction and attempted murder of a child. Both women were sent to the prison's maximum-security wing (H Block), where they were horrified by their new surroundings. Karen was confronted with a former lover—prison doctor Greg Miller (Barry Quin)—and was sexually harassed by violent lesbian cellmate Franky Doyle (Carol Burns]]). Lynn was ostracised by the other prisoners because of her crime (prisoners are known for their intolerance of offenders against children) and terrorised by Bea Smith, who burnt her hand in the laundry's steam press in one of the series' most iconic early scenes.

Other, less volatile prisoners included elderly, garden-loving Jeanette "Mum" Brooks who was incarcerated for the euthanasia of her husband who had terminal cancer, teddy-clutching misfit and childlike Doreen Anderson (Colette Mann), alcoholic former cook recidivist Lizzie Birdsworth (Sheila Florance), who apparently poisoned a group of shearers, and seductive prostitute Gladys "Marilyn" Mason (Margaret Laurence), who seduced prison electrician Eddie Cook (Richard Moir). The prison officers (or "screws", as the prisoners call them) included firm-but-fair well-heeled governor Erica Davidson (Patsy King); dour deputy governor Vera Bennett (Fiona Spence), who was always wanting to become Governor and was nicknamed "Vinegar Tits" by Franky; and firm but compassionate senior officer Meg Jackson (later Morris) (Elspeth Ballantyne).

Early episodes featured a high level of violence: Lynn Warner's burning in a steam press; a prisoner hanging herself in her cell; a fatal stabbing; and a flashback sequence inspired by which Karen Travers stabbed her abusive husband to death in the shower. The series' first major story arc was the turf war between Bea and Franky, in a bid to become the prison's "Top Dog" (unofficial leader), culminating by Episode 3 in a riot where Meg was held hostage and her husband—prison social worker Bill Jackson (Don Barker)—was stabbed to death by inmate Chrissie Latham (Amanda Muggleton).

Series extension

Prisoner premiered in Australia on 27 February 1979. Its success prompted the producers to extend the series, first from 16 to 20 episodes and then indefinitely. The production schedule increased from one to two-hour-long episodes per week; Carol Burns left the show after 20 episodes, feeling that she could not continue playing Franky Doyle with the tighter schedule. Her storyline sees her as an escapee from Wentworth with fellow inmate Doreen Anderson, and after being on the run for three weeks, she is shot dead by an officer

New story arcs were introduced. Karen Travers appealed against her sentence and was eventually released, allowing her to resume her relationship with Greg Miller and becoming involved in prison reform. As original characters began leaving the series (Mum Brooks, Lynn Warner, Karen and Greg appeared beyond the initial sixteen episodes, but most had left by the end of the 1979 season; Greg left in early 1980), new characters arrived: hulking husband-beater Monica Ferguson (Lesley Baker), career criminal Noeline Bourke (Jude Kuring), troubled murderess Roslyn Coulson (Sigrid Thornton) and imprisoned mother Pat O'Connell (Monica Maughan), in addition to shorter-term inmates with brief storylines. Prostitute Chrissie Latham, a minor character in the early episodes, returned in a more central antagonistic role and a male deputy governor, Jim Fletcher (Gerard Maguire), joined the female-dominated cast.

Final season

Ratings had been declining for some time, and when they continued to fall in 1986, Network Ten decided in July not to renew the series. Production ended on 5 September, and the final episode aired in Melbourne on 11 December 1986. The producers had several weeks' notice that the series was ending, enabling them to construct strong concluding storylines (including the ultimate defeat of Joan "the Freak" Ferguson). Prisoner's final episodes dealt with the redemption of the misunderstood Kath Maxwell and concluded the ongoing dynamic between Rita Connors (played by Glenda Linscott) and Joan Ferguson (Maggie Kirkpatrick).

Cast

Main article: List of Prisoner cast members

Episodes

Main article: List of Prisoner episodes

Days and times listed are for ATV-10 in Melbourne; days and times may vary in other regions of Australia.

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	79		27 February 1979 (1979-02-27)	28 November 1979 (1979-11-28)
2	86		22 January 1980 (1980-01-22)	12 November 1980 (1980-11-12)
3	81		4 February 1981 (1981-02-04)	11 November 1981 (1981-11-11)
4	80		9 February 1982 (1982-02-09)	9 November 1982 (1982-11-09)
5	90		1 February 1983 (1983-02-01)	3 November 1983 (1983-11-03)
6	89		17 January 1984 (1984-01-17)	8 November 1984 (1984-11-08)
7	83		24 January 1985 (1985-01-24)	5 November 1985 (1985-11-05)
8	104		9 January 1986 (1986-01-09)	11 December 1986 (1986-12-11)

Spin-offs, remakes and specials

Spin-offs

Willow B: Women in Prison

A pilot for an unproduced American version of Prisoner was produced by Lorimar in 1980, entitled Willow B: Women in Prison. The cast included Ruth Roman, Virginia Capers, Carol Lynley, and Sally Kirkland. The pilot aired on ABC-TV on 29 June 1980.

Wentworth

Main article: Wentworth (TV series)

In March 2012, it was announced that Foxtel would produce a contemporary "re-imagining" of Prisoner, Wentworth, set in modern-day Australia. Wentworth recounts the rise of Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack) from her arrival at Wentworth as a remand prisoner to "top dog". The series is filmed at a new, purpose-built prison set in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton.

Wentworth features contemporary versions of vintage characters along with new characters. Characters and cast members include Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack), crime matriarch Jacs Holt (Kris McQuade), Liz Birdsworth (Celia Ireland), Doreen Anderson (Shareena Clanton), Franky Doyle (Nicole da Silva), Sue "Boomer" Jenkins (Katrina Milosevic), social worker Erica Davidson (Leeanna Walsman), officer Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva), officer Matthew Fletcher (Aaron Jeffery), deputy governor Vera Bennett (Kate Atkinson), and governor Meg Jackson (Catherine McClements), as well as Linda Miles (Jacquie Brennan), Joan Ferguson (Pamela Rabe), Sean Brody (Rick Donald), Greg Miller (David de Lautour), Marie Winter (Susie Porter), Rita Connors (Leah Purcell).

None of the original cast was initially scheduled to return for the first series, but on 29 November 2012 it was confirmed that Anne Charleston (who appeared in the original series) would make a guest appearance, as well as Sigrid Thornton who was in the original series as Ros Coulson, Thornton would play Sonia Stevens. Wentworth premiered in Australia on Foxtel's SoHo channel on 1 May 2013. As of 2018, the series was still in production, with a sixth season premiering on 19 June 2018, while a seventh season had been announced and due to air in 2019. Season 7 aired in May 2019. While Wentworth was confirmed for a 2021 ending, it won't surpass Prisoner in episodes, but will surpass the show in years on air.

Spoofs

In 1980 Saturday Night Live aired a parody of the series, "Debs Behind Bars". In the sketch, the inmates (including guest host Teri Garr) are spoiled debutantes who complain about "icky" living conditions in prison. During the early 1990s, Seven Network's comedy sketch program Fast Forward parodied Prisoner; Gina Riley (Bea Smith), Jane Turner (Lizzie Birdsworth), Magda Szubanski (Doreen) and Marg Downey as officer (Joan Ferguson) gave scenes from the series a comedic twist.

Other series to have featured Prisoner spoofs included The Paul Hogan Show, Let the Blood Run Free, Naked Video and The Krypton Factor.

Prisoner-inspired shows

In 1991, Prisoner was reprised for the American market as Dangerous Women. The US version borrowed heavily from the Australian original for characters and was created and written by Reg Watson, who had also created the original Australian series. In Dangerous Women, the emphasis was outside the prison, focusing on prisoner relationships in a halfway house. It is remembered now mainly for the early appearance of actor Casper Van Dien in the role of Brad Morris. In 1997, Prisoner was revised in a German-language version, Hinter Gittern – Der Frauenknast (Behind Bars). The series ran from 1997 to 2007 for 16 series and 403 episodes.

Talking Prisoner On the 18th of June 2021 Producer Matt Batten created the Talking Prisoner Podcast/YouTube Channel. Matt’s co-host is Ken Mulholland who was the head cameraman on Prisoner from episode 1 to episode 692. Ken and Matt interview all cast and crew from Prisoner which are in depth. The channel can be found on YouTube – Talking Prisoner

Merchandise

There have been several tie-in books and video and DVD releases. Prisoner's theme song ("On the Inside", sung by Lynne Hamilton) reached number one in Australia in 1979 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart in 1989. "On the Inside" was re-released as a digital download and CD single in March 2012. The song was featured as a B-side on punkabilly group The Living End's EP, Second Solution / Prisoner of Society.

Books (tie-in publications)

Based on the series

There has been numerous publications on the series, including tie-in paperback novels, including publication's by Pinnacle Books, which in 1980, led by the actors union the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and represented by cast member Val Lehman (Bea Smith), which saw the cast go on strike due to the content in the United States: soft-core pornography at odds with the series. Six books were published: Prisoner: Cell Block H, The Franky Doyle Story, The Karen Travers Story, The Frustrations of Vera, The Reign of Queen Bea and The Trials of Erica.

Two behind-the-scenes books were published in the UK during the early 1990s. Prisoner: Cell Block H – Behind the Scenes was written by Terry Bourke and published by Angus & Robertson Publishers, who published similar books about soap opera's Neighbours and Home and Away. Bourke documents the show's genesis and development, and the book has many stills and character profiles. Hilary Kingsley's Prisoner Cell Block H – The Inside Story emphasises more on plot and characters.

A limited-edition book, The Inside Story, was published in 2007 as part of the full-series DVD release in Australia. Written by TV journalists Andrew Mercado and Michael Idato, the commemorative book has the series' background, year-by-year storylines, character details and quotes by cast and crew. It was available as part of The Complete Collection DVD set.

Cast members

There are also several biographies/memoirs of cast members Sheila Florance: On the Inside

In 2011, Betty Bobbitt self-published From the Outside, her memoirs of her career which included playing the role of Judy Bryant on Prisoner.

Maggie Kirkpatrick, published The Glove Are Off in 2019

DVD releases

Main article: List of Prisoner home media

The complete series of Prisoner is available on DVD format in both Australia and the United Kingdom. On Region 4 in Australia, distribution company Shock Records released the series over forty volumes, and a complete collection, comprising these volumes; the UK editions, from FremantleMedia, made the series available over twenty volumes (doubling-up on the Australian sets). In 2016, ViaVision acquired the rights to re-release the series in Australia and made the decision to release the series in their original season formats. See above for a full listing of VHS and DVD sets available. The following is an overview of Prisoner releases in their seasons formats.

DVD title		Episodes	Discs	Release date	Runtime (minutes)	ACB rating
				Region 4
	The Complete Season One	79	20	2 November 2016	3555	M
	The Complete Season Two	86	21	11 January 2017	3949	M
	The Complete Season Three	81	21	8 February 2017	3596	M
	The Complete Season Four	80	21	8 March 2017	3600	M
	The Complete Season Five	90	23	5 April 2017	4001	M
	The Complete Season Six	89	22	7 June 2017	4001	M
	The Complete Season Seven	83	21	2 August 2017	3735	M
	The Complete Season Eight	104	26	6 September 2017	4680	M

Overseas sales

Sweden

The show was shown in Sweden on TV4 beginning on 7 September 1994 as Kvinnofängelset (The Women's Prison). A fan club organises an annual get-together, and collected several thousand signatures (including that of actress Elspeth Ballantyne) to convince TV4 to repeat the show in 2000. After the series ended that year, work began to persuade TV4 to air the show again. TV4 originally screened the series in a late-night (1am) slot three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, airing the final episode on 3 February 2000. During a repeat run from 2000 to October 2004, Prisoner aired at 2:15am four times a week: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The episodes were repeated over the weekend: the Monday and Tuesday episodes on Friday and the other two on Saturday. In May 2014 TV4 Guld began rerunning the series again Monday to Thursday at 10pm, with episode 32 shown on 3 July. The broadcast schedule was later changed to five nights a week at midnight. Season 8 started airing on Sjuan in September 2017 at 3pm.

United Kingdom

A stage version of Prisoner, based on the original scripts, was produced in 1989 and toured the United Kingdom. Elspeth Ballantyne (Meg Morris) and Patsy King (Erica Davidson) reprised their characters and Glenda Linscott (Rita Connors) played a new character, Angela Mason. A second tour, with Fiona Spence (Vera Bennett) and Jane Clifton (Margo Gaffney), followed in 1990; Jacqui Gordon (Susie Driscoll) played new character Kath Evans.

A musical version followed, with Maggie Kirkpatrick reprising her role as Joan (the Freak) Ferguson and Lily Savage as an inmate. The musical, a parody of Prisoner's kitschier aspects, toured and had a West End run in 1995 and 1997. Val Lehman (Bea) was critical of the production, questioning why a drag queen would be in a women's prison.

Due to Prisoner's popularity in the UK during the late 1980s, its British fan club organised personal-appearance tours for several actresses including Val Lehman (Bea Smith), Carol Burns (Franky Doyle), Betty Bobbitt (Judy Bryant), Sheila Florance (Lizzie Birdsworth), Amanda Muggleton (Chrissie Latham) and Judy McBurney (Pixie Mason). A TV special, The Great Escape, was produced in 1990. The programme, which featured Val Lehman, Sheila Florance, Amanda Muggleton and Carol Burns on their 1990 UK visit, includes extensive footage of their on-stage interview with TV presenter Anna Soubry in which the cast members discuss their time on the series. Recorded at the Derby Assembly Rooms in Derby, it was briefly available in the UK on VHS video.

Several Prisoner actors have appeared in British stage drama and pantomime, including Val Lehman (The Wizard of Oz, Beatrix Potter and Misery), Peta Toppano, Fiona Spence, Maggie Dence (Bev Baker), Debra Lawrance (Daphne Graham), Linda Hartley (Roach Waters), Ian Smith (Ted Douglas) and Maggie Millar (Marie Winter). In 1997 a Prisoner clip from its second episode (Franky Doyle and Lynn Warner's fight in the garden) appeared on the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather, and the series was mentioned several times during Birds of a Feather's seven-and-a-half-year run. The theme song was played briefly in episode three of BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave. Prisoner has also been referenced in British sitcoms 2point4 Children, Absolutely Fabulous and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, as well as the soap operas Coronation Street, Brookside and EastEnders.

ITV regional scheduling

Prisoner began airing on Yorkshire Television on 8 October 1984, with the franchise cutting scenes involving hanging (including the attempted hanging of Sandy Edwards and the hanging of Eve Wilder). Yorkshire also heavily edited the episode 326 fight scene with Joan and Bea. Several other regions also cut scenes deemed inappropriate despite its time slot, well past the 9 pm watershed.

The TVS region followed in October 1985. In 1987 Central, Thames, Scottish and TSW began the series; most other regions began broadcasting it in 1988, nearly two years after it finished production. Ulster began broadcasting Prisoner in late 1989, usually airing after their Friday night local talk show "Kelly" which aired at 10.40pm, would have a tradition of "Prisoner" following at 11.40pm. When the Kelly Show extended to a 90-minute version from the autumn of 1990, Prisoner would air at 12.10am. Maggie Kirkpatrick and Val Lehman both appeared on the Kelly Show on occasions, such was the popularity of the show airing after "Kelly" every Friday night.

Each ITV region decided when (and how often) Prisoner would be broadcast. Central Television screened three episodes weekly, finishing on 16 December 1991 before rerunning the first 95 episodes (from 1993 to 1995). Most other stations also completed the series: Granada Television and Border Television on 9 February 1995, Grampian Television on 11 March 1996, HTV on 25 April 1996, STV on 19 November 1996, Yorkshire Television and Tyne Tees Television on 7 April 1997. When Border, Grampian and Granada TV screened the final episode in the UK, continuity announcer John McKenzie conducted a telephone interview with Maggie Kirkpatrick (Joan "the Freak" Ferguson).

Some UK regions did not see the entire series; Channel Television began the series on 16 January 1986 with episode 10, when it aligned its schedule with TVS; it was previously aligned with TSW, which did not broadcast the series in its own region until 1987. Regional alignment meant that around the end of 1992, some episodes were skipped; Tyne Tees skipped 293 and 294 and Border Television omitted 71 episodes, 477 to 547. Furthermore, in some regions, the series was discontinued prior to its final episode in later runs: in Ulster, Prisoner ended on Ulster Television with episode 562 on 15 December 1997. In London, where the series ran on Thames and subsequently Carlton Television, viewers were told after episode 598 on 20 August 1998 that the series would resume after a summer break however the series was then discontinued from screening in London. The last ITV Prisoner episode was shown on Meridian, which finished an initial run with episode 586 on 12 July 1999.

Channel 5

Early on 31 March 1997 Channel 5, which had begun broadcasting at 6 p.m. the previous evening, began a full run of Prisoner while later episodes were still appearing in many ITV regions. Except for an airing of the fire episode (326), as part of a 1995 Channel 4 soap weekend, it was the series' first UK network broadcast and gave some areas their first full run of the series. Although the schedule varied during the Channel 5 run, episodes were typically shown about five times a week in the 4:40 a.m. slot. It briefly moved to a late-night slot, usually around 11:30pm, before returning to the 4:40 a.m. slot. The Channel 5 run ended on 11 February 2001, with a double bill of the penultimate and final episodes. Channel 5 have no plans to re-run the series, despite viewer requests. For most of the Channel 5 run the programme was sponsored by Pot Noodle, with humorous Prisoner-esque sequences (set in a prison cell and playing on the series' wobbly scenery and props) played before and after the episodes and in the leads into and out of commercial breaks.

The Channel 5 broadcasts included commentary over the closing credits, usually from chief continuity announcer Bill Buckley but sometimes from deputy announcers such as Stuart McWilliam. This began in the early-100s episodes (when Prisoner briefly moved to the late-night slot), when Buckley would deliver a quip about the episode before making continuity announcements. This developed into humorous observations about the episode just shown, and the reading of letters and depicting of trivia sent in by viewers (which Buckley called "snippets"). Due to its early-morning slot, when most viewers relied on VCRs to follow the series, upcoming schedule changes were announced as part of the commentary.

United States

The series was first aired in the United States on KTLA in Los Angeles on 8 August 1979, initially under the original name, Prisoner. Shown Wednesdays at 8pm, it was the first Australian series broadcast in prime time in the United States. The series, whose first two episodes were screened as a two-hour special, was viewed by a quarter of all television viewers in the Los Angeles market and was in second place for the night, beaten only by ABC's Charlie's Angels.

The series would later be repackaged into a daily half-hour format, as Prisoner: Cell Block H, syndicated directly to local stations through Firestone Program Syndication Company during the early 1980s (particularly 1980 to '81). Apart from KTLA, known stations to have aired Prisoner: Cell Block H included WPIX in New York City, WGN-TV in Chicago, KRIV in Houston, Texas, KTVT in Dallas/Ft. Worth, WLVI in Boston, KWGN in Denver, KSTP-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul, KYW-TV in Philadelphia, KPLR in St. Louis, MO, KTVU in the San Francisco Bay Area, KSTW in Tacoma / Seattle, KVOS-TV Bellingham, Washington, KOB-TV in Albuquerque, WTOG in St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida, WTTV in Indianapolis, KPHO in Phoenix, WATL in Atlanta, WCKT in Miami, FL, WIVB in Buffalo, WDRB in Louisville, Ky., WKYT in Lexington, KY, KVVU in Las Vegas, NV and WTTG in Washington, D.C. Under the half-hour format, the original episodes were broadcast in two parts, though some scenes were censored or removed for the US telecast. KTLA, however, continued to broadcast the series in a weekly hour format, though now Tuesdays at 8pm, and under the Prisoner: Cell Block H name. Picked up in at least 38 markets in early 1980, the program would leave the American airwaves by spring 1982, after the few stations that were still carrying the program, such as KOB-TV and WGN-TV, removed Prisoner from their schedules.

During the spring and summer of 1985, the series was screened nationally on USA Network, weekdays at 11am ET, also in a half-hour format. It is unknown which episodes were televised.

Canada

In Canada, Prisoner began on 10 September 1979 as Caged Women on Global Television Network, at the time a small television network serving southern and eastern Ontario; the program was seen weekly on Monday nights at 9pm

The show would move to Tuesdays at 9 p.m. in the fall of 1980, continuing with the Caged Women title. The show would be off the schedule by the 1981–1982 television season, but by the fall of 1982, Global would reintroduce the show to the schedule, still as Caged Women, in the half-hour format, weeknights at midnight and 12:30am. The program would be off the schedule by the start of the 1983–1984 season.

Curiously, Global's use of Caged Women would continue even after the show debuted in the United States as Prisoner: Cell Block H, which led to viewers in the communities along the Ontario / Michigan border to watch the same program under two different titles: Caged Women on Global, and Prisoner: Cell Block H on WKBD-TV Detroit.

In Vancouver, Victoria and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Prisoner: Cell Block H was telecasted under that title weekdays at 1pm during 1980 and 1981 on KVOS-TV, an independent station in Bellingham, Washington that included the greater Vancouver / Victoria region as part of its viewing area.

Other countries

The series began in New Zealand in March 1981 on TV2, showing twice a week at 2:30 p.m., and was later rerun on SKY 1.

In South Africa, public television network SABC 1 began airing the series in 1998, screening Thursday nights at 9 p.m. and a repeat showing on Fridays at 10:45; it was cancelled on 2 October 2000, after episode 156.

In Brazil, Prisoner aired as As Prisioneiras around the end of 1980 and early 1981 by TVS (since renamed SBT), Sundays at 10 p.m. The show was dubbed into Brazilian Portuguese locally by TVS and was cancelled after episode 82 had screened.

Australian reruns

Network Ten began rerunning Prisoner on 8 May 1995; the series was cancelled, despite promises that it would return after the 1996 Christmas break. BBC UKTV began airing it from the beginning on 30 November 1997, at 12:15am on Tuesday and Thursday and 11:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. A repeat was broadcast at 2pm on Monday.

Foxtel channel 111 channel began airing the series on 7 March 2011 at 6:30pm AEDT, later moving to 5:30pm AEDT on 10 December 2012. Each episode was repeated the following afternoon, with the final episode on the initial run airing on 11 November 2013. The next day, the channel began a repeat run from episode one at 3:00pm AEDT, later moving to 1:00pm AEST on 7 July 2014. Foxtel held unlimited screening rights to the series until 2019, airing the series 4 times back to back (from 2011-2019). Foxtel’s final broadcast was on September 11, 2019.

The series' popularity on Foxtel inspired plans for a modern-day remake.

Believing that Prisoner would resonate with new audiences, in 2010 111 group programming director Darren Chau planned to replay the series against the introduction of digital channel Eleven and Network Ten's plan to move Neighbours to Eleven. The channel ran a promotional campaign highlighting the rerun, with a new version of the theme song by Ella Hooper and a cast reunion.

Awards and nominations

• Logie Awards

Best Lead Actress in a Series—Carol Burns (1980)

Best New Drama Series—Prisoner (1980)

Best Lead Actress in a Series—Sheila Florance (1981)

Best Drama Program—Prisoner (1981)

Most Popular Show in Victoria—Prisoner (1981)

Most Popular Actress—Val Lehman (1982)

Best Lead Actress in a Series—Val Lehman (1982)

Best Drama Program—Prisoner (1982)

Best Lead Actress in a Series—Val Lehman (1983)

Best Supporting Actress in a Series—Sheila Florance (1983)

Most Popular Show in Victoria—Prisoner (1985)

Nominated: Best Supporting Actress in a Series—Colette Mann (1981)

Nominated: Best Supporting Actor in a Series—Gerard Maguire (1981)

Nominated: Best Lead Actress in a Series—Betty Bobbitt (1982)

Nominated: Best Lead Actress in a Series—Maggie Kirkpatrick (1984)

Nominated: Best Supporting Actress in a Series—Gerda Nicolson (1985)

Nominated: Best Performance by a Juvenile—Robert Summers (1985)

Nominated: Most Popular Actress in a Series—Maggie Kirkpatrick (1986)

• Penguin Awards

Best Sustained Performance by an Actress in a Series—Carol Burns (1979)

Special Commendation Outstanding Ensemble Acting—Val Lehman, Sheila Florance, Colette Mann and Betty Bobbitt (1981)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series—Anne Phelan (1984)

Best Series Actress—Anne Phelan (1985)

Best Sustained Performance—Gerda Nicolson (1985)

Certificate of Commendation—Maggie Kirkpatrick (1985)

Certificate of Commendation—Genevieve Lemon (1985)

Certificate of Commendation—Joy Westmore (1985)

Best Drama Serial—Prisoner (1986)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Series—Glenda Linscott (1986)

• Sammy Awards

Best Actress in a Series—Sheila Florance (1980)

See also

• Bad Girls
• Orange Is the New Black

External links

• Prisoner at IMDb
• On the Inside – official fan club
• Fan site with list of cuts in DVDs
• Who's who in Wentworth? – fan site with complete episode guide
• Prisoner Cell Block H World – fan site with news and more
• Aussie Soap Archive: Prisoner – overview and review